Friday Sermon – Khalifatul Masih V – Mirza Masroor Ahmad – Year 2017
Peace be on you. Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is the Messenger of Allah. Come to Prayer Come to success Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest.
There is none worthy of worship except Allah. Peace be on you. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah. and I bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His Servant and Messenger After this I seek refuge with Allah, from Satan, the accursed.
In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all the worlds. The Gracious, the Merciful. Master of the Day of Judgment. Thee alone do we worship and Thee alone do we implore for help. Guide us in the right path;
The path of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy blessings, those who have not incurred Thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray. People in this world spend money for the purpose of their own comfort and personal interests, and at times, in the way of charity and alms.
However, there is no other group of people or a community whose members, despite hailing from different cities and countries, are united under one leader and offer their wealth for the purpose of achieving one objective. And that is for the propagation of religion and serving humanity.
Indeed, there is only one Community which is doing this and that Community is the one which has been established by God Almighty Himself for the fulfilment of this objective. It is the Community which belongs to the True Servant of the Holy Prophet (saw);
It is the Community which belongs to the Promised Messiah and Mahdi and has been tasked with the responsibility of spreading Islam all over the world. For the last 128 years, this Community has been sacrificing its wealth for the cause of serving Islam and humanity.
This is because the Promised Messiah (as) has granted us the true comprehension of how to spend and sacrifice one’s wealth in light of the Quranic teachings. The Promised Messiah (as) states: “I urge you time and again to spend in the way of Allah as “this is an injunction of Allah the Almighty.
“Islam is passing through a state of decline. “One becomes anxious and restless after witnessing its state of “internal and external weaknesses and Islam is falling prey to other religions.” The Promised Messiah (as) further states: “When this is the current state of Islam, then should we not make an effort for itsprogress?
“It is for this reason that God Almighty has established this Community. “Thus to strive for its progress is in accordance “with the injunction and will of God Almighty.” The Promised Messiah (as) then states: “These glad-tidings are also from God Almighty, “Who states that if one spends in the way of God Almighty
“then in return He shall grant one manifolds in blessings.” One shall receive the rewards in this world and will also experience the comforts in the rewards of the hereafter. “Thus, at this moment in time, I draw the attention “of everyone to spend their wealth for the progress of Islam.”
The companions of the Promised Messiah (as) understood this and offered their wealth in the way of faith. The Promised Messiah (as) has mentioned on many occasions how his followers would increasingly excel in their financial sacrifices. The Promised Messiah (as) would raise funds for the publication of literature and various other projects.
The Promised Messiah (as) spoke of the sacrifice made by Munshi Abdul Aziz Sahib Patwari at the time of when he urged the members to raise funds for Minarat-ul-Messih (Minaret of the Messiah). The Promised Messiah (as) states: he in fact mentioned two individuals, Abdul Aziz Sahib and Shadi Khan Sahib
“Two sincere members of my Community “gave donations for this project which are worthy of envy for all other members. “One of them is Munshi Abdul Aziz, “who works as a Village Registrar in the district of Gurdaspur. “Despite his low income has contributed 100 rupees towards this project.
“In my estimation, these 100 rupees are probably his savings from many years. “This is also worthy of praise because he has already contributed 100 rupees towards another project.” The Promised Messiah (as) further states: “The other individual who has shown great valour is Mia Shadi Khan Lakri Frosh from Sialkot.
He has recently just contributed a 150 rupees towards another project and now he has given 200 rupees for it. He is a person whose trust in Allah the Almighty is so strong that if one was to value his total household items, they would perhaps not amount to more than fifty rupees.
He has written that “since we are passing through a period of famine “and trading business seems to be heading towards ruin, “therefore it is better to partake in the spiritual trade “and thus I have sent whatever I had.” Similarly, the Promised Messiah (as) has cited the example
Of many other individuals in his books and sayings, who showed the least concern for their own needs and gave preference to advancing in their sacrifice for religious causes. The spirit of sacrifice has been so greatly instilled within the companions of the Promised Messiah (as)
That one generation after the other continues to offer sacrifices. In fact, even those who live in far-off lands and have newly joined the Community, when they hear about the accounts of the sacrifices of these elders, or when they are informed that a sacrifice is required for a particular project,
They understand the true spirit of sacrifice after hearing the words of Allah the Almighty and produce such examples of sacrifice that one is left astonished. Generally, it is the less affluent who offer a greater number of sacrifices than the wealthy and demonstrate marvelling examples.
They never entertain the thought that what difference will our small sacrifices make, in fact they truly understand the word of Allah the Almighty wherein He states: [Arabic] “And the case of those who spend their wealth to seek “the pleasure of Allah and to strengthen their souls
“is like the case of a garden on elevated ground.” Heavy rain falls on it so that it brings forth its fruit twofold. And if heavy rain does not fall on it, then light rain suffices. “And Allah sees what you do.” [Holy Qur’an 2:266] Thus, the sacrifices made by those who are less affluent
Can be likened to light rain or the morning dew. The small moisture as a result of their minor sacrifice which reaches the garden of faith produces innumerable fruits by the grace of Allah the Almighty. We can witness for ourselves that despite being a Community with
Such limited resources, we are spreading the message of Islam to every part of the world and serving humanity, and then out of His grace, Allah the Almighty blesses our work so much that the world is astonished as to how we can achieve so much with yet so little means.
The reason for this is because those who offer these sacrifices strive to be counted among those regarding whom Allah the Almighty states: [Arabic] “Those who spend their wealth to seek the pleasure of Allah” When one’s objective is to seek the pleasure of Allah the Almighty
Then it bears many fruits and carries countless blessings. As I mentioned that even today there are countless examples of this and I shall present a select few. When a young woman living thousands of miles away from Qadian embraces Ahmadiyyat, the true Islam, the transformation in her thought that comes about
As result of it and the understanding she develops of the concept of sacrifice is evident from this incident which is explained in her own words. This young woman living in Uganda is not uneducated, in fact she studies at university and says: “Last July, prior to enrolling into university,
“I needed to purchase some items but did not have enough money. “I also had some Chanda [monetary contribution] “which was outstanding and had yet to be paid, therefore I gave the money I had towards Chanda. “I had firm faith that Allah the Almighty shall help me
“and I had a feeling of contentment as I had paid my Chanda. “A month later when there was only three days left before the university opened, “my aunty phoned my mum and enquired when I was going to start university “and also invited me to her house.
“When I arrived at her house in the evening, “she gave me some money which was far more than what I needed “to purchase items for my university and was ten times more “than the amount I had paid towards Chanda. “Thus, Allah the Almighty heard my prayers and
“provided me with help from where I had no hope whatsoever.” Then, Inspector Qamar-ul-din Sahib of India writes about one of the members: “One of the members who is from the Jama’at in Manjeri, “Kerala, and runs a vaccine business. “I went to his shop to collect his contribution for Waqf-e-Jadid
“but he said that a lot of his money was held up “and therefore he was experiencing quite a lot of difficulty in this regard. “However, he still gave a cheque worth a large sum and while handing it over “he said that at present he does not have enough money
“in his account but pray so that he can pay this as quickly as possible.” “He then states: The next day, I received a phone call from him and he said “that by the grace of Allah the Almighty after giving the cheque, “he received a large sum of money in his account and
“therefore the cheque can be now cashed.” He also said that this was purely due to the blessings of Allah the Almighty that he provided the means. Another example is of a widow in Tanzania in East Africa. The Amir [National Head] of the Jama’at writes that the Mualim [local preacher]
Visited a widow, Amina Sahiba, in Iringa town in order to collect her contribution towards Waqf-e-Jadid. However, she said despondently said that at present she did not have anything to give but as soon she does, she will come herself and will pay her contribution.
The Mualim had not even reached his home that the lady came to him with 10,000 shilling and said she received this amount from somewhere and decided to first pay her Chanda and then fulfil her other needs. She also said that her promise [for Waqf-e-Jadid] was 25,000
Shillings and as soon she receives the remaining 15,000 she will come and pay it. After ten minutes, she came again with the exact amount and said, “look at the way Allah treats a person! “I spent ten thousand shillings in His way and I did not even reach home
“that Allah the Almighty sent me 45,000 shillings, “and after paying the remaining 15,000 shillings, “I still have 20,000 shillings. “This is purely due to God Almighty and the blessings of Chanda.” “As a result of this incident, her faith increased greatly. I shall present another example from Congo, in central Africa,
Which shows how the spirit of sacrifice has been instilled in those people and still remains within them. One of the missionaries, Ramiz Sahib, writes that “Saeedi Sahib, who is one of the local preachers from Kalunbai Jama’at, “preaches in the five neighbouring Jama’ats. “The current situation of the county is quite bad
“but despite the security concerns, he visited all of his Jama’ats. “In order to earn more reward, he paid all the expenses “of his travel from his own pocket despite his difficult circumstances. “He raised 53,000 for Waqf-e-Jadid. He said, “I am an established Ahmadi and therefore have to be a model for the youth.”
How established are the Ahmadis in that country? 15 to 20 years at the most and he himself is sixty years old but not only is he doing the work of Tabligh [preaching] with such dedication but is also drawing their attention towards Chanda.
This is the spirit that is instilled in the people after accepting the Promised Messiah (as). These people live in remote areas with fewer roads, in fact there are no roads and since it consists mainly of water they mainly use boats as a means of transport in which they cover vast distances.
Then take note of the example of Ahmadi from the West African country of Benin. He has not been an Ahmadi for more than a year, but his depth of understanding the spirit of sacrifice is of such a high standard that it is an example for older Ahmadis. The missionary Muzaffar sahib writes:
“This year, a new Jamaat was established in a village of the Kartoni region, called Dekambeh. The local population catch fish and sell it on, i.e. they are fisherman and that is their livelihood. The local missionary urged the members of that village to give Chanda Immediately one of the Ahmadis who was financially weak,
Responded to the call and gave one thousand francs. He said although my situation is such that I am not financially stable, but I do not wish to remain behind in any schemes launched by the community I am a member of.
Then there is an example of the impact Khilafat has in the lives of people and how it ushers people towards offering sacrifice can be seen in the example of the youths of another West African country – Burkina Faso. They have not been an Ahmadi for long, but observe the level of their sacrifices.
Ameen Balouch Sahib, who is a missionary in Burkina Faso has written the following: “The last sermon of the previous year which was delivered on 30th December 2016 “was relayed to the residents of the Bafoura Region, the youths, “some of whom were new converts as well as older Ahmadis went home
“and brought all they had saved for the new year celebrations “and gave it towards the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme. They said “since the Khalifa has instructed us about the manner “in which we should celebrate the New Year, “therefore we present this amount towards the scheme.
“Likewise we will begin the New Year with Tahajjud prayers [voluntary pre-dawn prayers].” On that day they presented 76,000 Francs in contribution. Next, observe the sacrifice of a newly established Jamaat in a small village in the West African country of Ivory Coast. The Mu’alim [local missionary preacher] writes:
“A gentlemen called Mahmadu Sahib, who resides in a village “called Nuawugokah in the Buwakeh region, recently accepted Ahmadiyyat.” Only a year has elapsed since this event. I informed this new convert about the importance of Waqf-e-Jadid and attending the Jalsa Salana. I also informed him that it was the wish of the Khalifa
That every Ahmadi should partake in the Tehreek-e-Jadid and Waqf-e-Jadid schemes. Initially I thought perhaps I will be able to collect only a small amount of contribution, owing to the fact that the majority of the people were underprivileged, however the opposite proved to be true.
In this village almost every Ahmadi took part in the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme and paid their contributions, in fact, one individual not only gave all of his Waqf-e-Jadid promise, but also travelled 600 kilometres to attend the Jalsa Salana [Annual gatherings] Then a missionary from Tanzania, Yusuf Usman Sahib writes
An incident regarding sacrifice and the treatment received from God Almighty in the following way: “One Ahmadi brother is physically impaired and cannot walk. “As a result he is unable to work. “In Tanzania electricity is not available in every locality. “Consequently many people use small solar panels to light a bulb for the home.
“This Ahmadi brother of ours also uses small solar panels “to charge peoples phones and earns his livelihood from this. “He regularly gives his Chanda “from whatever nominal amount he makes.” One day the Mu’alim advised him about giving regular contributions upon which he said in the recent days he earnt 2000 shillings,
And he will give that in the way of Allah. The Mu’alim said: “If you give the entire amount, “then what will you feed your children with?” He replied: “God Almighty is the Sustainer, “He will arrange for this Himself.” The Mu’alim sahib writes that he had just cut the receipt
When all of a sudden a rush of people came to charge their mobile phones which meant that he earnt more than what he had given as part of his Chanda contribution. This Ahmadi brother turned to the Mu’alim and said: “You have just witnessed the blessings God Almighty bestowed for paying my Chanda.
“He instantaneously returned to me a greater amount.” Then an example of how God Almighty rewards those who sacrifice and increases them in their faith, can be witnessed from an incident in Tanzania. The son of one of the members in the Shinyanga region was suffering from Malaria
And he only had 1500 shillings for his sons treatment. The finance secretary went to his house and encouraged him to pay his Chanda contributions. He immediately took that same amount of from his pocket and gave it. This gentlemen writes: “At first I thought to myself where would
“he get the money for his sons medications? “Then it dawned on me that he has given the money in the way of God; “He will make arrangements Himself.” Thus, after a short while, his elder son, who lived in city rang and said he is transferring 80,000 shillings.
That money arrived the same day and he was able to afford the treatment as well as taking care of other aspects. He even recalled that God Almighty granted him manifold and now he preaches the emphasis of giving chanda to the local Ahmadis. Then there is an incident of individual sacrifice of an Ahmadi
In the west African country of Mali. Ahmad Bilal sahib, who is the missionary there writes: “A gentlemen from the Sakaaso region accepted Ahmadiyyat in 2013. “At that time he was in debt and was facing financial as well as domestic issues. On top of that he was close to retirement.
After joining the Jamaat he made a solemn pledge that he would pay the Chanda on a regular basis. As a result he regularly paid the amount that was stipulated according to his capacity. He says that through the blessings of Chanda he not only became debt-free, but his domestic issues were resolved.
In addition to this he gained a promotion and also had his retirement deferred. Now the abovementioned gentlemen is also part of the Wassiyyat scheme. A missionary in Sierra Leone, Munir Hussain sahib writes: An Ahmadi woman from the Wajehbo Jamaat wrote down a promise of 4000 Leone.
She did not have a stable source of income, and had a small vegetable garden where she grew Kasava – which is a plant which has long roots similar to that of sweet potato. She would earn a living by selling them. When the time approached for collecting the contribution,
The inspector in charge of collecting went to visit her. However the money she gathered to give for the contribution was spent by one of the children and she was greatly perturbed by this. Observe the level of her faith. Her son worked at a wine merchants –
He had no other choice or perhaps he had not fully accepted Islam. He said that he will give the money as a loan. The woman strictly declined and stated that the money is not Halal [lawful] therefore she would not give her contribution from that money.
This is the honour and respect of the faith, nevertheless, the return granted by God Almighty is truly remarkable. If one intends to gain the pleasure of God, then God Almighty rewards that gesture. During this time an unknown individual came and handed her 10,000 Leone.
Instead of giving 4000 leone contribution she instead gave 10,000 leone and said: “God Almighty granted this to me only to pay my Chanda.” For the following year she wrote down a promise of 10,000 leone as well. Aqeel sahib, who is also a missionary from Sierra leone writes:
A new convert in the Bo region was engulfed in a struggle over a piece of land for some time. The opposing individual was very influential figure. Seemingly there was no chance for him to win the case. During this time he heard of the blessings in donating to the mosque fund.
The gentlemen writes: “When I heard of the blessings in donating to the mosque fund, “I decided to give a contribution towards it. “Perhaps (this new convert became an Ahmadi, leaving Christianity) “From this contribution my land issue may be resolved.” Thus he donated according to his capacity.
Within a space of a short time the case was settled in his favour, which seemed to be impossible. He said: “I am convinced that this is all down to the blessings of financial sacrifice.” Shahid sahib, a missionary from Kinshasa in DR Congo writes:
“There was a woman who ran a small scale trading business. “In the beginning of the year, owing to the situation of the country, “she thought that she would not make a profit. She had given her contribution for the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme at the beginning of the year and said that
“any transaction done with God cannot go to waste.” She stated that by the grace of Allah the Almighty she made a profit and despite the situation of the country she did not incur any loss to the business. In respect to how much giving sacrifice has an impact on others
And opens avenues for the missionaries, the Ameer of Bangladesh writes: “Three individuals were being preached to, however none of them were prepared to perform the Bai’at [pledge of initiation]. On the previous Friday these three gentlemen came to the mosque to offer their Friday prayers, during which the members
Were encouraged to give their Waqf-e-Jadid contributions. After the prayers the members of the congregation formed lines to give their contributions. When these gentlemen, who were still being preached to, saw this spectacle they said: “Our Maulvis [religious clerics] ask us for contributions and exhaust all their efforts in the process,
And still people do not give contributions. Here a small announcement was made and long queues were formed as a result of it. This is the actual spirit of Islam. Consequently the three gentlemen immediately performed the Bai’at and also gave contributions towards the Waqf-e-Jadid scheme. Then a missionary from Benin, Abdullah Sahib writes:
“I visited a community of new converts in Papaza in order to collect chanda from them. A new convert there by the name Haji Abu Bakr sahib asked him where the money comes from and how will it be spent as he was not aware of the financial system.
When it was explained to him that the Ahmadiyya community uses that money: to build mosques, translations of the Holy Quran, publications of religious books as well as building hospitals, schools, orphanages. In short [it was explained] all the money is spent on various religious and welfare programs.
When Abu Bakr sahib heard all this he said “Maulvis would take Zakat and various other contributions from me, “but they would never explain where the money would be spent.” Thus after this he immediately gave the contribution and said that in future he will readily participate in all the financial schemes of the Jamaat.
In short, we have observed that God Almighty grants the Promised Messiah (as) such people who are every ready to offer monetary sacrifices. When they accept Ahmadiyyat a new desire burns within them to sacrifice for the faith of God Almighty.
However this is a point that should be remembered by those who live in better conditions. It is a matter of concern for those that God Almighty has granted affluence and live in first world countries, yet their sacrifices are nominal. Nevertheless, even here there are those who offer extraordinary sacrifices,
However there are many people in all parts of the world who are well off, but they pay little attention towards this. They should ponder over this matter. As is customary to announce the start of the new year of Waqf-e-Jadid on the first Friday of January.
I mentioned a few examples, and although there were many however I only selected a few in order to share the importance of paying Chanda. Now, I will announce the start of the 60th year of Waqf-e-Jadid. And I will mention the blessings of God in relation to last year’s collections.
The Waqf-e-Jadid year finishes on December 31. The 59th year of Waqf-e-Jadid ended on December 31, 2016. According to the reports that have been received thus far, by the grace of Allah the Almighty, the Jama’ats from all around the world have presented a total sacrifice of eight million twenty thousand pounds.
This year’s Waqf-e-Jadid is one million one hundred twenty-nine thousand pounds more than last year’s collection. And once again this year Pakistan is on the top of the list and leads all the Jama’ats in the world in terms of overall contribution. As compared to last year, Ghana is on the top of the list
In terms of increase in amount according to local currency. First is Ghana – a country from Western Africa, then Germany, then Pakistan then Canada. Amongst the countries of Africa, the most notable countries in regard to contribution are Mali, Burkina Faso, Liberia, South Africa, Sierra Leone and Benin.
In terms of overall collection, other than Pakistan, the first ten Jama’ats amongst the western countries are, UK is first, Germany is second, America is third, Canada is fourth, India is fifth, Australia is sixth, [a Jama’at from] Middle East is seventh,
Indonesia is eight, a country from the Middle East is ninth, Ghana is tenth. Belgium and Switzerland come after that. In terms of collection per individual, America is first, then Switzerland, Finland, Australia, Singapore, France, Germany, Trinidad, Belgium and then Canada. UK is far behind despite the fact that it came first in terms
Of overall collection amongst the western countries. By the grace of Allah the Almighty, this year one million one hundred thirty-four thousand members participated which is one hundred and five thousand more than last year. In terms of increase in number of participants, other than Canada,
India and the UK, the following countries in Africa have made notable effort: Ghini Kanakari, Cameroon, Gambia, Senegal, Benin, Niger, Congo-Kinshasa, Burkina Faso, and Tanzania. Nigeria has not paid enough attention towards this because their number of participants have significantly dropped. If their numbers had been the same as last year,
As well as a few other countries, or even if only Nigeria’s numbers had remained the same then the number of participants would have been one million four hundred thousand instead of one million one hundred thirty-four thousand . This means that either there was a lot of indolence shown
Or the report was not compiled properly or reports were not collected. As far as the sincerity of the members of the Jama’at is concerned, it is not lacking. Regardless of whether is in Africa or any other country. The members were not approached properly. And usually it is negligence from the secretaries.
A person from Rabwah wrote to me that the Sadr of a particular Jama’at came to him and said that there he has not made any promise for waqf-e-Jadid and nor have any payments been made. He said that how could this be possible as had been paying quite regularly.
He replied that this happened because the Secretary Waqf-e-Jadid this year was so lazy that promises were not take from anyone in that area and nor any collections were received in a proper manner. It is evident from this that people sometimes are deprived due to the negligence of the sectaries [for Waqf-e-Jadid].
And I think this is what happened in Nigeria. Other than this, there has been a decrease in the number of participants in America. However, there can be no excuse for this decrease in number. Neither is there a reason for Nigeria to have a reduced number of participants. Because the number has to increase.
However, as I said, America though has increased its collection per individual a lot. MashAllah. It is first in that regard. Similarly, all those countries that have a lower number of participants this year as compared to last year should focus on the number of participants. And they should assess their weaknesses.
People do not have a weakness, rather, there is a weakness in those who are working. Amongst the adult paying members which is also a department in Waqf-e-Jadid, within Jama’ats from Pakistan, Lahore is first, then Rabwah, then Karachi. Then, amongst other Jama’ats it is Islamabad, Gujrawalan, Gujrat, Multan,
Umerkot, Heyderabad, Peshwar, Mirpurkhaas, Okara and Dera Ghazi Khan. In the list of Jama’ats according to the office of Atfal, the sacrifice offered by children, Lahore is first, then Rabwah, Karachi, Sialkot, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hyderabad, Dera Ghazi Khan, Kotli, Azad Kashmir, Mirpurkhaas, Multan, and Bhawalnagar.
According to overall collection, the ten big Jama’ats are Worcester Park, Masjid Fazal, Birmingham South, Putney, Raynes Park, Bradford, New Malden, Glasgow, Birmingham West, Gillingham. According to overall collection, amongst the regions in the UK, London B is first, then London A, Midlands, Northeast and then South.
With regards to collection, the five leading Jama’ats of Germany are Hamburg, Frankfurt, Wiesbaden, Morfelden-Walldorf and Dietzenbach. In terms of overall collection, the ten Jama’ats in Germany are Roedermark, Neuss, Friedberg, Nidda, Florsheim, Hanau, Cologne, Koblenz, Langenzenn and Mahdi-Abad. The first ten Jama’ats of America are, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Detroit, Silver Spring,
Central Virginia, Los Angeles East, Dallas, Boston, Philadelphia and Laurel. The following are amongst the leading Canadian Jama’ats, Calgary, Peace Village, Vaughn, Vancouver and Mississauga. Five large Canadian Jama’ats according to collection are Durham, Hamilton East, Saskatoon South, Saskatoon North, Windsor, Lloyd Minister, Ottawa West, Ottawa East, Barrie and Regina.
According to the office of Atfal, following Jama’ats have the top five positions in Durham, Bradford, Saskatoon South, Saskatoon North and Lloyd Minister. The position according to Regions in Canada is Calgary, Peace Village, Brampton, Vaughn and Weston. Position of Provinces in India are Kerala, Jammu Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Odisha [formerly Orrisa],
West Bengal, Punjab, Utter Pardesh, Delhi, and Maharashtra. Top ten Jama’ats in India are Karoli, Calicut, Hyderabad, Pathapiriyam, Qadian, Kenol Town, Calcutta, Bangalore, Solur and Pangadi. The top positions of the Jama’ats in Australia are Castle Hill, Brisbane, Logan, Marsden park, Perth, Adelaide South, Flempton, Canberra, Langwarrin, and Adelaide West.
May Allah the Almighty bless the wealth and the individuals who offered sacrifices. And may He activate the related office holders in that they are able to do their work more efficiently in future and that they strive to overcome their weaknesses. There should be an increase in participation. Although the overall amount increases, however,
It is necessary to include everyone even if they participate by contributing a small amount. Also, after the Friday Prayers, I will lead two funeral prayers in absentia. The first funeral is that of Asma Tahira Sahiba, who was the wife of Mirza Khalil Ahmad Sahib.
She passed away on 23rd December 2016 in Canada at the age of 79 years – “Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we return”. She was born in Bagalpur in June 1936, her father’s name was Maulvi Abdul Baqi and her mother was Safia Khatoon Sahiba.
Her father worked in the factory of our community and was the President of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community in Kunri for a long time. Her paternal grandfather was Hazrat Ali Ahmad Sahib. He was the companion of the Promised Messiah (as).
The incidence of him taking the oath of allegiance is narrated by respected Amatun Noor Sahiba. She narrates that she has been informed that Hazrat Ali Ahmad Sahib came to Qadian, when he was a student of 9th grade. At the station in Amritsar, Maulvi Muhammad Hussain Batalvi
Tried to stop him from going to Qadian. He replied to Maluvi Muhmmad Hussain Batalvi that my mother has sent me to Qadian to investigate the fulfilment of the sign of the solar and lunar eclipse. This action of yours has made the truthfulness of Mirza Sahib evidently clear to me.
Why should a scholar of your status waste his time to respond to the false claimant of the prophethood? All your struggle and wastage of your time makes it clear that Mirza Sahib is truthful. On 6th of January 1964, Asma Sahiba got married, as I said she was the wife of Mirza Khalil Ahmad.
Mirza Khalil Ahmad was the son of Hazrat Musleh Mau’ud (ra) and was the maternal grandson of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (ra). Her mother was Sahibzadi Amatul Hayee Sahiba. Respected Asma Tahira Sahiba served centrally as the General Secretary and Secretary Ziafat for the ladies’ auxiliary organisation.
Later she had an opportunity to serve as a member of the project for worldwide preaching. The father of Asma Tahira Sahiba passed away in 1975 and after that her mother stayed with her. I personally know Asma Tahira Sahiba as she was my maternal auntie.
I know that she maintained a bond of extreme love and affection with her in-laws, her sisters-in-laws and other relatives and friends. I went to see her when she was poorly. She was was in Canada and when I was there I went to see her. She was not even able to move.
She was so humble that when I was in Canada, she asked her family to get her clothes ready in case, she said about me, he calls me for Mulaqat. So instead of sending me a message to go and see her, she was expecting that I will ask her to come to see me.
In any case, I went to see her and she was very pleased about this. She did not have any children so she adopted a niece of hers, when she was five years old. Her adopted daughter says that she treated me like a real daughter,
Carried out all the ceremonies of the wedding and left nothing to chance for her moral training. Whenever I used to get stressed, she would advise me to pray and say that with prayers, these problems can be solved. She had unwavering faith in supplication.
She used to love children and used to pay special attention to their moral training. She used to advise that you must take your children to the mosque. If you keep them engaged with the mosque, they will not go astray and will not be ruined.
Her daughter says that she also advised her to sign up to the institution of the Will and she always used to advise to maintain a bond of commitment with the Jam’at. She used to treat those working for her with the greatest respect
And she had a maid living with her and she directed her adopted daughter to take good care of the maid after she was gone and do not ask her to move out of her living quarters, where she lived. May Allah the Exalted treat her with forgiveness and mercy, Ameen.
The second funeral is that of respected Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib, who passed away in Lahore on 4th January, 2017 at the age of eighty three – “Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we return”. The paternal grandfather of Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib was Hadhrat Chaudhry Nasrullah Khan Sahib and was
A companion of the Promised Messiah (as) and his maternal grandfather was Hadhrat Chaudhry Fath Muhammad Sahib Sial, who was also a companion of the Promised Messiah (as). His father, Chaudhry Muhammad ‘Abdullah Khan Sahib, served as the president of the Jama’at in Lahore for a long time.
Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan Sahib was his paternal uncle as well as his father in law. In 1964, Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib got married to Amat-ul-Hay Sahiba, daughter of Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan Sahib. Their children are Mustafa Nasrullah Khan, Ibrahim Nasrullah Khan, who passed away at the age of sixteen, and a daughter, ‘Aisha Nasrullah.
Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah was married to the daughter of Chaudhry Zafrullah Khan Sahib, who had previously been married to Doctor I’jaz-ul-Haq Sahib from whom she bore two sons, Muhammad Fazl-ul-Haq and Ahmad Nasrullah. On 5th February 1994, Ahmad Nasrullah was martyred in Lahore. Hence, he currently had two sons and a daughter.
He always kept the children of his wife from her previous marriage with him and he did so with great affection and considering them to be his own children. In 1975, Hadhrat Khalifat-ul-Masih III appointed him as the president of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Lahore.
By the grace of Allah the Exalted, he served as the president of the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Lahore for 43 years. In 2009, his health was declining. Hence, upon my instructions to assess his condition and then to inform me, he said, ‘‘I will excuse myself from work.
“However, I do so for the reason that my health “does not permit me to work because the work of a president is very vast. Following that, Shaikh Munir Sahib was appointed as the new president, who was martyred in 2010. He served as the president until around 2008 or 2009.
During the conditions of opposition in 1974, even though he was not officially the president, Hadhrat Khalifat-ul-Masih III gave him many responsibilities, which he fulfilled in a very handsome manner. He also rendered great services when the justice inquiry commission was established in the high court in 1974.
During the period of trials in 1984, he also rendered various services during the proceeding of the case in the Federal Shariat Court in Lahore. He also holds the honour of accompanying Hadhrat Khalifat-ul-Masih IV (rh) from Rabwah to London on the occasion of his migration from Pakistan.
As a matter of fact, as far as I am aware, he was the one who drove the car from Rabwah to Karachi. Dar-ul-Zikr in Lahore was further expanded during his presidency and that is continuing even today. Nevertheless, a lot of work was done. Many beautiful mosques were added in Lahore during his presidency
And similarly was the Ahmadiyya Jama’at in Lahore enabled to make handsome financial sacrifices during his presidency. He was also serving as the president of the Fazl Umar Foundation for the previous thirty two years. In 1984, as I mentioned, he was enabled to accompany Hadhrat Khalifat-ul-Masih IV (rh)
During the migration from Pakistan to England. He has also been mentioned in the book written by Ian Adamson. Chaudhry Munawwar Sahib, secretary of general affairs in Lahore, writes that Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib greatly cared for the people working with him. He cared for their smallest of needs.
If he was asked for advice, he would give it with great love and affection. He says that I had served as the Qa’id [Youth Leader] of the district of Lahore for nine years, however, I never witnesses him display any displeasure regarding any matter. He greatly cooperated in the tasks of Khuddam-ul-Ahmadiyya
I had the opportunity to host five Ijtema’aats [youth gatherings] outside of Lahore in which he great guided us; he would guide us in every single respect. Chaudhry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib had great organisational skills and would do everything on time and on its occasion.
He visited every Jama’at and had a personal relationship with the presidents of the [different] areas. He considered the members of the ‘Amila [administrative body] to be his friends and helping hands. Hakim Tariq Sb. states that “he was imbued with the obedience to Khilafat.
“He used to treat the employees and workers of the Jama’at with utmost kindness and love. “He trusted them greatly and showed huge respect to them.” And as long as he served with me as the President while previously I was the Nazir-e-A’laa -[National Head of Pakistan] during that time,
He used to render his full cooperation to the Markaz [centre] and served with complete obedience. [Thus,] he also worked with me in my capacity as Nazir-e-A’laa. Later on, after my assuming the office of Khilafat, as long as he remained the President of Lahore, he served with full cooperation.
He was very passionately obedient. Colonel Naeem Siddiqui Sahib vice president of Lahore Region, writes that, when he would start narrating incidents of his attachment with Khilafat, he would continue forever. Colonel Naeem Sb.narrates an incident that, once Hameed Nasrullah Sahib was travelling towards Bahawalpur for some business,
When he received a message from Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) ordering him to come to Rabwah. He had almost reached Bahawalpur but he cancelled his plans in Bahawalpur and immediately returned to Rabwah overnight. He reached before the Fajr prayer and he used to say that,
He started to take a stroll outside the residence. And when he saw that it is time for the Tahajjud prayer or the time between Fajr and Tahajjud prayers, he sent the message to inform Huzur that he had arrived. He had established allowances for the poor,
Not only on his own behalf but also on behalf of his wife, father and on behalf of Ch. Zafarullah Khan Sb. Whenever an application was received, [requesting an allowance], he would mark on it that “[the allowance] should be issued “from my account or the account of my wife or some other account.”
And this has also been correctly reported [to me] that Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sb. himself was a history of Jama’at Ahmadiyya Lahore. Anyway, he had been bestowed the ability of a leader by Allah the Almighty and he used to utilise it properly. Nasir Shams Sahib who is also the current Secretary of Fazle-e-Umar Foundation,
Writes – and I have already mentioned – that he presided over Fazle-e-Umar Foundation for 32 years. After the demise of Hazrat Ch. Zafrullah Khan Sahib (ra), he was appointed as the president of Fazle-e-Umar Foundation in 1986 and he was enabled to serve Fazle-e-Umar Foundation
As its president for almost 32 years till his final breath. He was a very sympathetic, compassionate, kind, gentle and cheerful individual. The scope of his public relations was very wide and he always utilised those connections to the benefit of the Jama’at. He was an extremely sincere and selfless servant of the Community.
He was a true helper of the Khulafa and had great regard for Khilafat. He was a loyal individual. Despite his [physical] weakness and ill health, he used to attend the meetings of the Foundation. He was very sound of judgement and perceptive.
Due to this God-given ability, he was able to acquire a deep insight into matters. Then he used pass his judgements based upon mutual consultation. Mirza Nadeem Sb. states that he personally narrated this incident to me that, when he was appointed as President Jama’at in 1975,
He went to see Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) in Rabwah, as he was very worried. He sent in a request for an audience with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh). Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh) called him in and asked what the matter was and what had brought him there.
He responded that he was not worthy of holding such an office. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh)replied that, “you should first have the meal, as it was time for food.” However, Chaudry Hameed Nasrullah Khan Sahib kept repeating the same thing. Then he states that, ‘Hazrat Khalifatul Masih III (rh)
Put his hand on my shoulder and said that “the Khalifa of the time has appointed you as the President and the Khalifa of God knows better.’’ He used to say that, “many a troubling situation arose after that but, by the Grace of Allah,
“I never became worried and due to the prayers of Khilafat, all my issues were resolved.” May Allah the Almighty forgive him, have mercy on him, raise his [spiritual] status and enable his progeny to remain attached to the Khilafat and Jama’at with loyalty.
And may He enable them to resume the legacy of his good deeds. All praise is due to Allah. We laud Him, we beseech help from Him and ask His protection; we confide in Him, we trust Him alone and we seek protection against the evils and mischief of our souls
And from the bad results of our deeds. Whomsoever He guides on the right path, none can misguide him; and whosoever He declares misled, none can guide him onto the right path. And we bear witness that none deserves to be worshipped except Allah. We bear witness that Muhammad (saw) is His servant and Messenger.
O servants of Allah! May Allah be merciful to you. Verily, Allah commands you to act with justice, to confer benefits upon each other and to do good to others as one does to one’s kindred and forbids evil which pertain to your own selves
And evils which affect others and prohibits revolts against a lawful authority. He warns you against being unmindful. You remember Allah; He too will remember you; call Him and He will make a response to your call. And verily divine remembrance is the highest virtue.